By Mariam Prieto-Perez —

Louisville volleyball defended their home court, taking a 3-0 win over Syracuse Nov. 15.

The Cardinals improved 17-8 and 10-5 in the conference matches while Syracuse fell 10-12 overall and 7-8 in ACC.

The first set had runs by both teams, but the Cardinals made it to the scoreboard first and took on an early 4-point lead. Syracuse responded by taking their first lead at 14-13.

The Cardinals then gained a 2-point lead, bringing the score up to 20-18. A kill by ­­freshman Amaya Tillman gave the Cardinals the set point, ending the first set with a score of 25-19.

In the second set, the Cardinals had another hot start. Louisville had a 7-3 run, and that put them at 20-11. Syracuse did not get another run, and the Cards cruised to a second set win at 25-15.

The third set saw the Cardinals run a 7-2 early lead. Louisville had a 10-point advantage at 18-8 before Syracuse could get a 4-1 run.  Syracuse upped their energy, but it was not enough to overcome the Cardinals. The Cards took the set point, finishing the final set 25-15.

Louisville led with a total of 41 kills while Syracuse had 24. ­The Cardinals hit .292 with five aces, 41 kills and five blocks. ­­Sophomore Claire Chaussee and freshman Amber Stivrins led the offensive, each producing 10 kills. Junior Alexis Hamilton proved important to the defense, finishing the game with 12 digs.

The Cardinals will be back in action Nov. 22 when they face Notre Dame at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena at 7 p.m.

Photo by Anna Claire Will // The Louisville Cardinal